Roller side bearing.



ATTORNEYS INVENTOR 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented July 3, 1917.

A. STUCKI.

ROLLER SIDE BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 1m30. |914.

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A. STUCKI.

ROLLER SIDE BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 30 y1914.

Patented July 3, r1917'.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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wrrNEssEs FIG.: I.

INVENTOR m a a/M l ATTORNEYS A. STUCKI.

ROLLER SIDE BEARING.

APPLlcAnoN FILED 1AN.30, |914.

Patented July 3, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIG. \O.

fo E NVENTOR il v ATTORNEYS fly@ WITNESSES ARNOLD srUcxI, or PITTSBURGH, rnnivsrnvnnrn.

'nonnnn'srnn BEARiNG.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, ARNOLD S'ruexr, a

resident of Pittsburgh, in ythe county of -Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roller Side Bearings, `0f which the following is a specification.vv

This'in'vention relates to side bearings for railway cars. n The object of theinvention is ,to provide a side bearing which is practically frictionless under `all service. conditions, whether normal or abnormal, whlch performs all other functions of side bearings,

which is efiicient and durableV in service, which is simple in construction and. therefore inexpensive both as to first cost and as to up-`keep,"and in.v which the anti-friction member is returned to 4normal position in the housing by gravity and yet travels in a horizontal ,plane. l y

The 'invention comprises the construction and arrangement o fl parts hereinafter described and claimed. v

In the drawing Figure Irepresents a plan view of one form of side bearing embody.- ing the invention; Fig. 2 is in part a side elevation, and in part a vertical longitudinal section thereof; Fig. '3 is a longitudinal sec'- tion, showing the antifrictionmember near one end of the housing; Fig. 4 is in part an end view and in part a vertical cross Section thereof; Figs. 5, (i and 7 are views corresponding to Figs. 1, 2 and ll, vshowing another embodiment ofthe invention; Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are similar views illustrating still another modification; and Fig. `11 is a dia-v grammatic view of another arrangement'.

The .ntifriiion member in he Present side bearing may be ya ball, a cone, or a cylinder, and is shown as a plain cylindrical roller 1, preferably formed of rolled spring steel. Said roller rests upon a -seat 2; which in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is a rock- A ing member of uniform thickness from end to end, and` having its lower surface curved or `inclined upwardly toward,l each end of the bearing. The vupper face of the seat may be provided withla suitable bearing surface for the roller, which is shown as a plate 3 of spring steel, riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to' the seat member, although t is is not essential.

The seat is arranged to rock or roll with reference to the lower bolster member. This movement may be accomplished several ways. For example, the seat may rest di-f Speciiication of Letters iPatent.

Patented July' 3, 1917.

i Application led January 340, 1914. Serial No. 815,543.

rectly upon the upper surface of the lower truck bolster- 4, as in Figs. 5, 6 and 7,.but

it preferably rests lipon a supporting and guldmg member rgi 1y Secured to the lower bolster, as shown in Figs. l vto 4. Inthis form the seat rocks upon the upper surface i 5 of a support 6, which comprises a plate or y casting equippedwith apertured corner ears for securing it to. the truck bolster. At each corner the support 6 is provided with vertical L-shaped wall o'r barrier, having a longitudinally extending portion 8 and a transversely extending portion 9. The longitudinalwalls 8 forni guides between which the seat 2 rocks, while the transverse wallsv l` 9 form rigid stops or barriers for preventing the seat member from shifting bodily longitudinally in the bearing.

The rocker or seat member 2 maybe the v:formof a simple plate, as shown in Fig. 8,

but in the form shown in Fig. 1it isprovided with vertical side and end A"Walls,

marked lO'andll, respectively, and which a' form a housing for confining the'roller in vthe bearing. These. Walls are of materiall he1ght, extending fairly close to the top 'of the roller 1,. which has its upper surface 'exposed for directly supporting the upper `bolster member 12 thereon. The end walls orbarriers 11 have their upper pt t'ions'Y substantially vertical, as shown in Fig. 2, so

that the roller cannot roll'up over the same,

Vsaid end` walls forming absolute stops t0 limit the travel of the roller in both direc',-y tions.- The side walls extend longitudinally of the bearingA and work between the longitudinalwalls 8 of the SuPPOrting'member 6,

andV prevent sidewise movement of the movf able rparts of the 'bearing'. The "top edges' of the seat and end walls are broad andiat and forman eiiicient and satisfactory side bearing, even if the 'roller is lost in a wreck or from other causes.

Each of the l 'de walls 10 is provided with mav a laterally extendin channelor projectionY 13, the vertical mem ers 14 of which are Vvarranged to abut the walls 9 of thefsupport 6 Vwhen the roller reaches eitherend 'ofthe bearin and which also assist-in reventing the rocgker from being shifted bodily in the bearing by any external blow or shock. The bottom members 15 fof the channels are each provided with. a Alongitudinal slot A16 to receive theshank of a bolt 17, having a nut 1 8 threaded en its upper and for confining the rocking member in ,the bearing- 'l'hfe lower faces of the nuts 18 lie'somewhat above the upper face of the bottoms of channels 13, in order to permit the member 2 to rock in the bearing, 'and said nuts may be pinned o1; otherwise secured to the bolts to prevent them from being lost. Also, if desired, a

light compression spring 19 may be placed.

walls being provided with large openings 20, extending for the full width of the hous-l vided with similar openings ing and for a vconsiderable distance upwardly, while'the side walls 4C are also pro-.

20a. To prevent dirt from accumulatin between the surfaces of the rocking mem er 2 and the'A supporting member 6, the/latter is provided with one or a plurality of longitudinal slots or grooves 21, opening at the end of the bearing, and which preferably are shallow at 'the middle of the bearing and increase in depth toward each end thereof. These grooves collect the dirt, whichl travels to the end of the bearing where it is discharged.

In operation, as the truck holsters swivel in one direction `or the other around the king pin, the roller 7 rolls between the uper bolster member 12 and the bottom of the bearing toward the position shown in Fig. 3. Under normal conditions, as when the car is traveling upon aI straight track, there may be a slight clearance between the upper bolster and the surface of the roller, or,

-1 if desired, the upper bolster may rest d1- rectly upon the roller atl all times. However, on swiveling movement of the truck the upper bolster is in contact with the roller on one or the other of the twosides of the truck. The pressure of the upper bolster upon the roller, as it travels towardA either end of the bearing, forces'down the rocking member 2, which, in the form shown in Fig. 1, is of uniform thickness from end to end, or at least for that portion of its length which is contacted by the roller in movement from one eXtreme end position in thebearing to the other. Consequently, the

roller travels in a horizontal plane without other than rolling friction and without the necessity of lifting the car body. The bearing, therefore, permits an unusually free swiveling'of the truck underneath the car i body. If the upper bolster is lifted oi' from the roller while the latter is displaced from central position in the housing, the roller is returned by gravity to central position therein. In other words, whenever the roller 1s away from central position in the housing, for example, in the position shown y 1n Fig. 3, the rocking member 2-is unbalanced about the roller as a fulcrum, so that one end of the rocking member is heavier than the other. When the upper bolster lifts the heavier end of the rocking member sinks, thereby inducing movement of the roller to central positlon in the housing.

The roller is consequently returned by gravv ity without other than rolling friction.

, Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show a modified form of the invention in which the rocking member 2 rests directly upon 4,the upper surface of the lower bolster member 4. In this case the supporting member 6 shown in Fig. 1, andabove described, is entirely omitted, but the construction and arrangement of the rocking member 2 is the same. It has-side and end walls forming a housing for confining the roller and may also be equipped with a bottom bearing member on which the anti-` friction member rests. In this case, the bolt 17a .has a shank, the upper portion 22 of which is conical, while its lower portion 23 is a reduced cylinder, thereby forming a shoulder 24 which rests on the upper surface ofthe lower bolster member. held to the bolster by a nut 25 on its lower end and isthereby prevented from rising with respect to the lower bolster.

This form of the invention is somewhat simpler than that before described and can, therefore, be made at lower cost. Both holsters, however, have the advantage that they reduce wear caused by friction. In each case, the roller, which is formed of 'rolled spring steel, rolls upon a bearing` surface formed of the same metal, while the rocking member 2, which rocks on the supporting member 6 in the one case and-the truck' bolster 4 in the other case, may be formed of cast steel of the same hardness and wearing qualitiesas those members. v

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show a modified arrangement of the invention in which the housing is rigidly connected to the lowery bolster member, while the antifriction member rolls on a member movable with respect to smid housing. In this form the housing isv provided with apertured ears 26 for securing it to the lower bolster member, and'is provided with side and end walls or barriers, marked 27 and 28, for confining the rolling' antifriction'inember 1. The bottom of the housing is provided with alevel, flatv supporting member 29, which is shown as rigidly secured to the housing, and upon which the rocking member 30 is supported.` Said rocking member comprises "a substantially' rectangular plate of uniform thickness from end to end and curved so that it is convex The bolt ison its lower surface. The end edges of said plate are bent downwardly, as at 31, to form locking members which plane of the supporting plate 29 and prevent the rocking member 30 from bodily endwise on its-support. They also prevent escape of the rocking member from the bearing, as said member cannot be removed from either of the openings 20 unless the roller is lifted out. It will also be l observed that the bent end edges 31 of the rocking member diverge downwardly away from each other, so that their lower edges are not liable to catch under the bearing plate 29 and prevent the roc g member from returning to normal position. In this form of the invention the roller, the rocking member 30 and the bearing plate 29 are preferably all made of spring steel.

In the three forms of bearing so far described the rocking member is of uniform thickness from end to end for the reason that it rocks upon a level or horizontal surface. This, however, be readily understood from the rocking member 2c is thicker at the middle than at the ends of the bearing, due to the fact that the support 6b, upon which it rests, and which may be the lower'bolster itself or a part secured thereto, has a curved upper surface on which member 42t' rocks. The thickness ofthe rocking member is, however, so proportioned with reference to the curvature orinclination of the surface of member 6 on which it rocks that the antifriction` member 1 travels from end to end of the bearing in the same horizontal v plane.

The bearing described is simple, can be manufactured at low cost and is not liable to easily get out of order. In all cases the roller travels on a horizontal plane without other than rolling friction and without lifting the vcar body on swiveling movement-of the trucks. Consequently, 1t moves with p great facility .and greatly reduces friction.

What I claim is 1. A side bearing for railway cars, comprising a load-carrying roller, anda member having a bearing surface co erating with the load-carrying surface of sald roller and also having a convex bottom surface curved upwardly from the middle toward project below the shiftingv is notessential, as will Fig. 11, where each end of the bearing and arranged to roll with reference lto the lower bolster member.

2. A side bearing for railway cars, comprising a roller, a rolling concavo-convex member carried by the lower bolster and having a bearing surface supporting saidv roller, said member being arranged to permit the roller to travel on said bearing surface in a horizontal sters when the upper bolster is down and to cause it to return by gravity to central position, and means for preventing said rolling member from escaping from the lower bolster.-

3. AA side bearingl for railwaycars, comprising agroller, a rolling concavo-.convex member carried by the lower bolster and having a bearing surface supporting said roller, said member being arrangedv to permit the roller to travel on said bearing sur: face in a horizontal plane between the bolsters when the upper bolster is down and to cause it to return by avity to central position., and a housing fgT in the bearing.

4. A housing casting having a roller and track face within the housing andv curved rocker plate located within the housing and adapted to rook on the track surface of the housing, a roller mounted within the housingand adapted to roll on the curved plate, the form of the curved plate being such as to return the roller by gravity of the plate to a normal central position and the thickness of said plate being relatively thin as relates to the diameter of the roller.

5. In a device of the class described a housing casting for a roller, a track 'surface within the housing and a curved rocker plate l located on the track surface within the houslng and adapted to'rock upon this surface, a roller mounted onthe curved plate and adapted to roll lengthwise on the plate and cause the plate to rock as the roller moves, holes in thel sides and ends of the housing which permit the escape from the region of the track surface of any obstructive material. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand..

v ARNOLD STUCKI. Witnesses ELBnnT L.HYDE, WIILIAM B. WHnnToN.

plane between the bol- 

